Browsing Archives for May, 2008
The NetShops Blog welcomes another guest blogger today. Here's Lisa, copywriter from Creative Services:
It's amazing how disappointing and shabby your existing possessions become once you add something new into the mix. Over the weekend, my husband Toby, with the help of our families, replaced our crumbling, rotting, lawsuit-waiting-to-happen back porch with a new 14 by 25 foot deck. Once the debris of a hard day's work was cleared, and the baby was tucked away safely in his crib, Toby and I were left to sit and gaze upon the fruits of our labor. This sturdy, solid, seemingly gleaming plane of wood was a thing of beauty and had a fitting, rich aroma to further enhance our pleasure.
But something was wrong. What is this we're sitting on? These rusting, faded, folding lawn chairs are suddenly sub-par. As the glue that has held many relaxing evenings together, they now look undesirable and uncomfortable. They simply do not go. And that grill! What IS that thing? Our trusty, kettle charcoal grill suddenly looks downright unusable. We needed new stuff and lots of it.
So where do we go to find all this stuff we didn't even know we needed two days ago, but are now desperate for? Fire up the PC and go to NetShops.com, of course. We soon discover that with so many great options, it will be hard to decide on something. These zero-gravity lounge chairs would be wonderful. We can just imagine propping up our feet and lounging with a cool margarita, baby monitor clipped to the sling fabric.
But wait, here's a 10-piece patio set at a great price. And this one has a dining table and reclining chairs with ottomans. Maybe we'd prefer a cute little bistro set and a few Adirondack chairs instead. Oh, and a fire pit would really be a fabulous touch. Or a patio heater? Nah, fire pit. And what about the grill? We'll definitely make the upgrade to the gas grill, but we're still sifting through our options. We should have budgeted for a lot more than wood, screws and stain.
As a copywriter, the sheer volume of products that crosses my desk can be desensitizing. But every once in a while a product so novel shows up that it demands attention, rousing me from the robotics of routine. This is a case for the other end of the spectrum. With this group of products, it was simplicity that captured my imagination.
Rome Industries has a line of simple, well-made products designed specifically for traditional outdoor cooking- specifically, for roasting food directly over a campfire or fire pit. All these items look like fun, but the cast iron pie irons and s'mores makers are the ones that really titillated my taste buds.
I've got a fire pit in my backyard that I use regularly for warmth on cool evenings, for ambience during gatherings, and for burning downed twigs and pruned branches. But for some reason I've neglected to cook over my open flame. All that's about to change.
I can hardly wait to experiment with concoctions in the round pie iron. I foresee summer evenings filled with fire-cooked sandwiches, calzones, pot pies, and desserts. Speaking of desserts, these s'mores makers should take the mess out of one of my all-time campfire favorites.
Second-ever guest blogger today. This one's from NetShops copywriter Annemarie.
Ever get writer's block? Well, funny, but so do copywriters. Sometimes vivid product descriptions just click right along - the thoughts traveling through my fingers at optimal typing speed. Other times the perfect turn of phrase to describe that 14th Sunbrella cushion is hiding, just out of reach, on the other side of the window.
In search of metaphors, I take my lunch outdoors where the mowers and trimmers are hard at work painting stripes across the spacious courtyard outside NetShops. I walk a ways on the curving path under crabapple trees bursting with red blossoms - or are they pink? Maybe magenta? Yes, go with magenta. You'd be surprised how attune you become to color when you sit for hours pondering the best way to describe the slightest shade variations of 12 bookcase finishes: mahogany, cherry, walnut, espresso, ebony, cappuccino, light oak, medium oak, California oak, antique white, bright white, and my personal favorite - brown.
After passing under the magenta boughs, I take a seat on one of several pebble rock composite benches lining the half-mile walking track that encompasses the courtyard. If the bench were made of wood, I'd probably start analyzing its grain texture, slat-back design, and exposed hardware. Since it appears to be made of stone, I momentarily consider what kinds of rocks might be embedded in its form and then sit down to enjoy my left-over barbecue beef sandwich.
I soon discover that the man driving the riding lawn mower has to cut the engine each time he reaches the end of a row to prevent blowing grass all over me. I consider moving to another bench to give him more space, but the bench is so warm in the sun, and my food's already out, and besides, I'm in prime viewing range to see the freshly mowed, two-tone effect unfurl itself across the lawn. It reminds me of a fancy indoor rug with cut-out textures and multiple shades of luster-washed green fibers.
As my lunch hour dwindles and the food settles in my stomach, I imagine what type of outdoor cushion would be most conducive to napping on rock composite benches. But before the temptation overpowers me, I gather up my food and head back to the cube. Now I know just what to write for that final patio furniture cushion: perfect for napping in the sun. Who says field trips are a waste of time?
I can't get enough of the agreeable weather we've had in Omaha lately. A birthday celebration for my mom on Saturday turned into an all-day outdoor event, complete with backyard games, kites, squirt guns, and good grilling. If these activities aren’t sure signs of summer's arrival, I've got grass stains on my shorts from a lively, spontaneous game of softball to submit as further evidence.
This day in the sun should serve as a fitting warm-up for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, which is somehow now only a few short days away. My wife, the beagles, and I are hosting some family this year, and I'm ready when it comes to food and outdoor seating. My main concerns are the bocce and croquet deficiencies I exhibited last Saturday. Hopefully my backyard-game season debut was a chance to kick off the rust, rather than an indication of things to come.
Either way, the thing about backyard games is that there are so many of them. That means when one becomes tiresome (read, "mercilessly humiliating"), I can insist we move on to the next one.
But win or lose, it's important to remember the fun lies in the ribbing banter exchanged between well-meaning siblings. The joy is in the gathering itself. And without question, I experience that joy at its fullest when I end up with the most points.
For today's blog post, I'm pleased to present Sherrill from the NetShops Search Engine Optimization Team. Sherrill is the first volunteer for our Guest Blogger Series, a program we hope to continue throughout the year to infuse the blog with fresh perspectives from the people who make NetShops tick. So without further ado, here's Sherrill:
I love my job. I guess I could be a beer or ice cream taste tester, but really my favorite things to do are exploring the Internet and playing investigator. So my job is perfect for me. I get to play on the Internet and work with some wonderful people. Just the other day, while out with co-workers, I watched an amazing trick pool shot (mind you, I don't watch or play that much pool) in a game of Cutthroat. Ross, a marketing teammate, put enough spin on the ball to actually go around the 8-ball and knock Sara's (another marketing teammate) ball in. Great shot, Ross!
Not only do I have the perfect job, but it's actually fun to come to work. My favorite stress reliever is taking my black Dodge Charger out for a spin. The other day I beat the pants off a red Ford Mustang racing down the aisles. Of course these aren't real-life cars; they're remote control cars that we race and wreak havoc on the cube walls. However, I would challenge anyone to a real-life race of one of our riding toys, which I hear may be a part of our Office Olympics again.
Of course, it's not a Utopian world. We do have discouraging things happen. But what is discouraging one day can turn into encouraging the next. To sum up, I'm very happy at Netshops and just wanted to express that in this post.
-Sherrill
SEO Manager
At a luncheon today hosted by the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, NetShops was one of 25 Omaha-area businesses presented with the Excellence in Business Award. Award selection was based on demonstration of great business practices, customer service and growth - all qualities the selection committee recognized in NetShops.
I had the privilege of attending the event with a group of colleagues chosen to represent NetShops. I was, of course, honored by the invitation. But more so, I am relieved to learn that my dubious beagle-managing skills and questionable homebrewing prowess - both documented in this blog - have not undermined my good standing with the company.
Lunch was delectable. Save for some confusion as to whether a viscous red liquid was to be employed as a raspberry vinaigrette with a spinach salad or as a syrup drizzled over a dessert bar (both applications proved delightful), I have no dining mishaps or faux-pas to report. Nevertheless, I would appreciate a final ruling on the intended purpose of this versatile fruit concoction.
NetShops CEO, Carter Cast, accepted the award for NetShops, and he would like to extend a special thank you to our founders, Mark Hasebroock, Doug Nielsen, and Julie Mahloch, for their leadership, guidance, and the drive to make NetShops what it is today.
And kudos to everyone at NetShops whose diligent work has made our company worthy of this award.
I know, I know. It's for a good cause. But it always takes some extra effort for me to get past the irony imbedded in concepts such as selling candy bars to raise money to fight diabetes. Or serving up a pancake feed as a fundraiser for the American Heart Association, which is the hubbub at NetShops this morning.
Now, I'm not talking about the radio-friendly, Alanis Morissette brand of irony (which is really just a series of crummy things that happen). I'm talking about the real-deal, what-you-least-expect brand of irony. Like the fact that most of the boisterous, convivial NetShops activities- pancake feeds, Office Olympic events, and others- frequently take place a few feet from where our team of copywriters carries out its daily wordsmithing. Imagine marching band practices for the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade taking place in the lobby of the New York Public Library, and you'll have an idea of the juxtaposition.
Yet something is slowly dawning on me as the sizzle of the griddles and whir of the mixers drown out the click-clack percussion of my keyboard. The laughter over my shoulder is contagious. Sure, the cacophony will compromise my productivity for an hour this morning. But it's all for the benefit of friendlier, happier, community-minded place to work.
So let them eat pancake. After all, NetShoppers will line up in downtown Omaha next weekend, on May 17, for the American Heart Association Heart Walk. Doesn't that call for seconds?